Chick box



Nov. 19, 1935. w STQUFFEYR I 2,021,208 7 I CHICK 30):

Filed Sept. 4, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 19, 1935. I w; Q ER 2,021,208

CHICK BOX Filed Sept. 4, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nair.- 19, 1935v PATENT OFFICE I 2,021,208 cmox nox William B. Stoufler, Mount Morris,Ill. Application September 4, 1984 Serial No. 742,521

17 Claim.

This invention relates to a new and improved box for shipping orcarrying live chicks.

Incubation is now done mainly in large hatcheries from which the youngchicks are distributed 'to the farms where they are to be raised. A

large percentage of these chicks go to farms not far distant from thehatchery and are transported usually by the farmer himself byautomobile. or truck. There is no necessity, therefore, of providingexpensive shipping containers made of heavy corrugated fibre boardthroughout on such short hauls. It is the principal object of myinvention to provide a chick box of cheaper construction, one whichrequires no stapling and which uses lighter and hence cheaper materials,the box being made partly of paper sheet material and partly of paperboard material, instead of being made throughout of paper board. Whiledesigned so as to be inexpensive enough for local delivery use, the boxis nevertheless strong enough for use in shipping. by ex- I press andparcel post for considerable distances,

especially when reenforced for that purpose as hereinafter described.

Another object is to provide a box in which the partitions extenddiagonally in crisscross relation so that triangular compartmentsinstead of four-corned compartments are formed, and there is lesstendency for crowding in corners, and

hence less danger of smothering. This arrangement of the partitions is.particularly advantageous in a-bcx constructed, as hereindisclosed,using light sheet material for the sides, because the partitions extendinto the corners and thus support the sides at their ends, lending thedesired strength and rigidity. It. also makes possible a strongconstruction without stapling, the partitions being simply slid intoplace.

Another object is to so construct the box to provide for betterventilation, and, at the same time, better insulation, especially forthe floor and sides, so that chilling is avoided.

The invention is hereinafter described by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is a perspective of a chick box made inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the box with the cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view looking at the bottom of the box;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a somewhat similar section showing a modification;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a box with the cover responding partsthroughout the views.

Referring to Figssl. to 4, the chick box of my invention has the squarebody 'or frame 8 thereof made ,of kraft paper, or any other similartough v and fairly stiff wrapping paper, or for that mat- 10 ter anysimilar light sheet material. This frame is formed like an ordinarypaperbag to provide sides 9 and a bottom It, the material being tuckedin and folded and glued, as indicated at II in Fig. 3, to form thebottom, similarly as in a bag. 15 A square floor-piece l2 of corrugatedfibre board is placed on the bottom III inside this bag-like frame,and-it has marginal upwardly projecting flanges l3 which have abutmentwith the inside of the side walls 9. The latter are folded in- 20 wardlyto provide inner side walls 9' spaced from the outer side walls,reaching down far enough to overlap the upper edges of the flanges l3,as appears in Fig. 4,, thus giving a good finish to the interior of thebox. This mode of assembling also 25 results in the provision of the airspace It between the innerand outer side walls, as clearly appears inFig. 4, thus affording substantially the same insulation with this sheetmaterial construction as is ordinarily provided with corrugated fibreboard construction. The double thickness side walls also make for therequisite strength and rigidity. The present construction also resultsin a greatly increased thickness of material in the bottom It added tothe thickness of material in the fioor l2, resulting in a much warmerbox than where fibre boardof single thickness is used alone in thebottom. The square form of the box is'furthermore pretty well definedwith this much of the con- 40 struction alone. Two partitions l5 and itof corrugated fibre board are slotted vertically at the middle, one fromthe top down and the other from the bottom up, as at 11, to permitinterfitting the partitions at the point of intersection, as 45 shown inFig. 2; and are entered in the frame 8 reaching diagonally between thecorners of the box. In this way, four triangular compartments l8 ofequal size are provided instead of the usual four-cornered compartments.Each compart- 60 ment in a ,full sized box-20" by 20"will accommodatetwenty-five chicks, and there is less opportunity for these chicks tocrowd into corners and be smothered, there being only three comers ascompared with the customary four in each compartment; The criss-crossedpartitions fitting in the corners naturallyprovide good sup- 1 port forthe sides 9-9' and provide cross bracing such that the box is muchstronger than where the corners are left unbraced. It is, this featurewhich in a large part accounts for the strength and rigidity of thepresent box, despite the fact that light sheet material is employed forthe sides and bottom instead of paper board. Furthermore,

this strength is built into the box without necessitating any stapling,the partitions being simply slid into place at the corners. If desired,the ends of the partitions may be first dipped in glue so that, whenthey are entered, they will soon thereafter be united firmly to thecorners, and thus make for even greater strength and rigidity.

'The saving in labor cost in setting up the box from knockdown conditionas compared with a stapled box can easily be appreciated, and.the

parts required in the construction of this box are of such simple formthat less .labor .is required in the making thereof, so that a doublesaving in the cost of production results. The saving in cost derivedthrough the use of sheet paper material or the like, as distinguishedfrom paper board material for such a large part of the box, is, however,one of the most importantsavings. A further saving is contemplatedbylmaking the floor piece l2 of lighter and cheaper material than thepartitions l5 and I6, and by making the cover I! of still lighter andcheaper material.

The cover l9, which is of paper board material,

is large enough to overhang the sides of the box about a half inch, asindicated in Figs. 1 and 4, so as to be sure to form a good closure forall of the compartments l8. A small diagonally extending slot 20 isprovided in the cover at the center to permit projection therethrough ofa lug 2| provided on the upper edge of the partispaced relation to thecover when two or more are placed in a stack or are secured together forshipment as asingle package. The holes formed where the tabs 23 are bentin,'as just described, serve for ventilation, along with other holes 26'punched through the cover, and, when two or more boxes are stackedtogether and separated, as just described, with the sticks 24,,the'reis, of course, no danger of these holes being closed. Other holes 21 arepunched through the packages.

sides 99' and still other holes 28 through the partitions I5 and I6 forfurther ventilation of the compartments IS in the box. The fact thatthecover i9 projects from the sides of the box a half inch or so, asabove-mentioned, insures against the covering up of the holes 21 byother boxes or Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, the box may, if desired,be reenforced by the insertion of pieces 29 of paper board material,fitting at the ends at the angles between the side walls of the box andthe ends of the partitions lS-IB. These pieces will, of course, not onlyadd strength and rigidity, but also greatly increase the insulation inthe sidewalls, making these walls about twice as resistant to heatlosses as'where a single thickness of paper board is emthe sides ofployed, there being the additional insulation space ll, previouslydescribed. With suchla construction, holes 21 are provided in the.pieces 29 in register with the holes 21 for ventilation. While a boxconstructed along the lines of Figs. 5 l to .4 is particularly suitedfor local delivery due to its low cost, it should be understood that itis not intended solely for suchuse but may lower edge from the inside ofthe flange [3 to 2 allow air to enter between the walls, as indicated bythe arrows. In other words, with this construction, there is indirectventilation and less likelihood of the chicks being chilled by suddengusts of air; the inner wall 9b will serve as a 25 baflle or shield.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn with a view to covering 30 all legitimate modifications andadaptations.

1. A box of the class described comprising a bag-like body of relativelylight, foldable sheet material providing a' bottom and side walls, aseparate rectangular floor-piece of heavier,

stiffer board material resting-on said bottom and holding the side wallsout so as to partially define a rectangular box structure, criss-crossedvertical partitions of stiif board material fitting in the 40 saidstructure over the floor-piece so that the ends of the partitions enterthe corners and support said side walls, and a cover for the box.

2. A box of the class described comprising. a bag-like body ofrelatively light, foldable sheet material providing a bottom and sidewalls,- a separate rectangular floor-piece of heavier, stiffer boardmaterial resting on said bottom and holding the side walls out so as topartially define a rectangular box structure, the side walls beingfolded in to provideside walls of double thickness, criss-crossedvertical partitions of stiff board material fitting in the saidstructure over the floor-piece so that the ends of the partitions enterthe comers and support said sidewalls, and a cover for the box.

3. vA box ofthe class described comprising a Shag-like body ofrelatively light, foldable sheet material providing a bottom and sidewalls, a separate rectangular floor-piece of heavier, o stiiler boardmaterial resting on said bottom and holding the side walls out so as topartially define a rectangular box structure, the side walls beingfolded in to provide side walls of double thickness, the floor-piecehaving marginal upwardly projecting flangesv entered between the innerand outer piles of said side wallsto space the same ,for the purposedescribed; criss-crossed vertical partitions of stiff board materialfitting in the said structure over the floor-piece so that 0 9,021,208as a shield covering said openings but allowing circulation of airdownwardly between the plies and under the inner ply into the box.

5. A box of the class described comprising a bag-like body of relativelylight,'foldable sheet material providing a bottom and side walls, aseparate rectangular floor-piece of heavier, stiffer board materialresting on said bottom and holding the side walls out so as to partiallydefine .a rectangular box structure, criss-crossed vertical partitionsof stiff board material fitting in the said structure over thefloor-piece sothat the ends of the partitions enter the comers andsupport said side walls, supplemental pieces of board material disposedalong the inside of said side walls reaching from corner to corner andvserving to further strengthen the side walls of holding the side wallsout so as to partially define a rectangular box structure, the sidewalls being folded in to provide side walls of double thickness,criss-crossed vertical partitions of still? board material fitting-inthe said structure over the floor-piece so that the ends of thepartitions enter the corners and support said side walls, supplementalpieces of board material disposed along the inside of said side wallsreaching from corner to corner and serving to further strengthen theside walls of the structure, and a cover for the box.

7. A box of the class described comprising a bag-like body of relativelylight, ioldable sheet material providing a bottom and side walls, aseparate rectangular fioorepieceof heavier, stifle: board materialresting-on said bottom and holding the side walls outso as to partiallydefine a rectangular box structure, the side walls being folded in toprovide side walls of double thickness, the floor-piece having marginalupwardly projecting flangesentered between the inner and outer plies ofsaid side walls to space the same for the purpose described,criss-crossed vertical partitions of stiif board material fitting in thesaid structure over the floor-piece so that the ends of the partitionsenter the corners and support said side walls, supplemental pieces ofboard material disposed along the inside-of said side walls reachingfrom corner to corner and serving to further strengthen. the sidewallsof the struc- ,ture, and a cover from'th'ebox.

. 8. In a boxof the class described, the combi nation of a bag-likerectangular container having bottom, sides, and removable cover,vertical crisscrossed partitions having their ends entered frictionallyin the corners of said container so ,asto

support the sides and maintain the rectangular shapeof said container.

9. A chick box comprising a stiff rectangular floor-piece, a rectangularcover of similar material, criss-crossed vertical partitions disposeddiagonally with respect to the top of said floorpiece under said cover,and enclosing side walls of lighter sheet material supported along thebottom by the marginal edges of the floor-piece and along the ends bythe ends of the partitions.

10. Achicl: box comprising a still! rectangular floor-piece, arectangular cover of similar material, cries-crossed vertical partitionsdisposed diagonally with respect to the top of said floorpiece undersaid cover, and a rectangular body part of lighter sheet material havingbottom and side walls, the floor-piece being removably' enteredin saidbody on said bottom, and said partitions being removably entered on topof said floor with the ends of the partitions engaging the inside of theside walls at the corners.

11. A box as set forth in claim wherein said sheet material is foldable,and the side walls are folded in so as to provide spaced inner and outerside walls.

12. A box as set forth in claim 10 wherein said sheet material isfoldable, and the side walls are folded in so as to provide spaced innerand outer side walls, and wherein the floor-piece has marginal upwardlyprojecting flanges, the inside of which is overlapped by the lower edges'of the inner side walls.

' 13. A box as set forth in claim 10 wherein said sheet material isfoldable, and the side walls are folded in so as to provide spaced innerand outer side walls, and wherein the outer walls have openings providedtherein above the lower edges prising a rectangular container havingbottom and side walls, partitions, dividing the inclosed space intocompartments, one of said partitions having an upwardly extending lug atthe middle thereof, a cover tor said container having an opening toreceive said lug, the lug projecting 0 through said opening and adaptedto receive a transverse fastener for holding the cover in place, andmeans on top of the cover at the corners, reaching to an elevation abovethe plane of the top of said lug, for spacing said box from other 5articles placed thereon.

16. In a box of the character described comprising a rectangularcontainer having bottom and side walls, partitions dividing the inclosedspace into compartments, one of said partitions having an upwardLvextending lug at the middle thereof, a cover for said container havingan openingto receive said lug, the lug projecting through said openingandradapted to receive a transverse fastener for holding the cover inplace, and bifurcated lugs on said cover bendable down wardly tostraddle the upper edges of said pare titions to frictionally hold thecover in place.

17. A chick box comprising a rectangular floorpiese of board material, arectangular coverof of the floor-piece and along the ends by the ends Iof the partitions, the floor-piece having its marginal edges flangedupwardly for reenforcement thereof, whereby to keep the bottom of thebox straight, the flanges having engagement with theinsideofthesidewslls. v

